This invention concerns a magnetic head assembly; in particular, it concerns a magnetic head assembly for lessening the undesired or harmful vibration in a magnetic head in a floppy disk drive, etc.
In a conventional magnetic head assembly including a magnetic head, when a recording medium rotates, a magnetic head piece that is part of the magnetic head and is in contact with the recording medium receives torque along its direction of rotation. This torque causes various types of twisting and bending stresses to act on the magnetic head piece. The magnetic head comprises a magnetic head piece and a magnetic head piece attachment plate (hereafter called xe2x80x9cthe gimbalxe2x80x9d), which has elasticity. When the magnetic head piece comes into contact with the rotating magnetic medium, the magnetic head piece constantly moves up and down while tracking the magnetic medium. In this case, the gimbal vibrates along with the movement of the magnetic head piece, and has many modes of vibration. The magnetic head piece that is in contact with the recording medium is pulled rearward by the force of friction. The various forces are unnecessary or harmful, and at times an abnormal vibration of several kilohertz arises, making it impossible to record on to or play back from the recording medium.
In order to prevent the abnormal vibration, for example, unexamined patent S59-151362 [1984] and unexamined patent H7-192240 [1995] have been disclosed.
As shown in FIG. 5, the invention of unexamined patent S59-151362 [1984] has a gimbal 50 which has elasticity and to which the magnetic head piece is attached. First aperture segments 51a and 51b of a first aperture are provided between an outskirt part 53 and an intermediate part 55 of the gimbal 50. Bridges 54a and 54b support the first aperture. Second aperture segments 52a and 52b of a second aperture are provided between the intermediate part 55 and a rectangular inland part 56 to which the magnetic head piece is attached. Bridges 57a and 57b support the second aperture. Provided over part of the first aperture segments 51a and 51b or the second aperture segments 52a and 52b are junction parts 58a, 58b, and 58c that are formed of a resin which has a damper effect that absorbs vibration energy, solving the above problem by moving the vibration energy to other points.
And as shown in FIG. 6, the invention of unexamined patent H7-192240 [1995] has a gimbal 50xe2x80x2, which has elasticity and to which a magnetic head piece is attached. First aperture segments 51axe2x80x2 and 51bxe2x80x2 of a first aperture are provided between an outskirt part 53xe2x80x2 and an intermediate part 55xe2x80x2 of the gimbal 50xe2x80x2. Bridges 54axe2x80x2 and 54bxe2x80x2 support the first aperture. Second aperture segments 52axe2x80x2 and 52bxe2x80x2 are provided between the intermediate part 55xe2x80x2 and a rectangular inland part 56xe2x80x2 to which the magnetic head piece is attached. Bridges 57axe2x80x2 and 57bxe2x80x2 support the second aperture. Projections 60a and 60b are provided at sides of a printed circuit board 61 to which a magnetic head 62 is connected. The projections 60a and 60b bridge and fix the second aperture segments 52axe2x80x2 and 52bxe2x80x2 respectively, thereby solving the above problem.
In the unexamined patent S59-151362 [1984], there is a problem that applying a resin, that has the damper effect of absorbing vibration energy, not only requires a large number of manufacturing steps and cost, but also causes variability in the damper effect due to variability in the coating weight and coating position of the resin.
And in unexamined patent H7-192240 [1995] there is a problem that because force is concentrated on the gimbal 50xe2x80x2 when the projections 60a and 60b are anchored to the printed circuit board 61, bending of the gimbal is often caused, and it is very difficult to work with.
This invention was devised for the purpose of solving these problems without detracting from trackability on the magnetic recording medium. A magnetic head assembly, in a floppy disk drive, for example, is provided that reduces unnecessary or harmful vibration.
In order to achieve the purpose, there is provided a magnetic head assembly, which comprises a magnetic head piece that records and plays back information; a gimbal which has elasticity and to which the magnetic head piece is attached; an oblong magnetic head support member where the gimbal is mounted toward the distal end and, such that the magnetic head piece faces a magnetic recording medium, the member is disposed above and below the medium in which the magnetic head piece is moved to a desired track position of the magnetic recording medium via the oblong magnetic head support member by an actuator provided on a proximal end of the oblong magnetic head support member; a gimbal comprises a roughly square shaped outskirt part that is attached to the oblong magnetic head support member, a roughly square shaped intermediate part that is positioned inside the outskirt part forming therebetween a first aperture squared with four aperture segments; the intermediate part connected to the outskirt part via two first bridges located respectively on two opposing aperture segments of the first aperture, and a rectangular inland part which is positioned inside the intermediate part forming therebetween a second aperture squared with four aperture segments; the inland part connected to the intermediate part via two second bridges provided respectively on two opposing aperture segments of the second aperture perpendicular to the aperture segments of the first aperture that have the first bridges and to which the magnetic head piece is attached; and first damping parts located on two opposing aperture segments of the first aperture perpendicular to the two opposing aperture segments joining the outskirt part and the intermediate part; second damping parts located on two opposing aperture segments of the second aperture perpendicular to the two opposing aperture segments having the second bridges, so as to join the intermediate part and the inland part.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a magnetic head assembly is provided wherein damping parts join the outskirt part and the intermediate part and are located in the first aperture perpendicular with the first bridges.
The damping parts that join the intermediate part and the inland part may be located in the second aperture perpendicular with the second bridges.
First damping parts join the outskirt part and the intermediate part and are located in the first aperture perpendicular with the first bridges and second damping parts join the intermediate part and the inland part, and are located in the second aperture perpendicular with the second bridges.
The damping part may form an S shape.
The invention may provide a magnetic head assembly having a plurality of the damping parts.
Further, the invention may provide a magnetic head assembly wherein the damping parts are located in a position opposite an aperture and aligned level.
Further still, the invention may provide a magnetic head assembly wherein the damping parts are located in a position oblique with respect to the center of the opposite side of the aperture.
Yet still further, the invention may provide a magnetic head assembly wherein one of first or second damping parts are located in a position opposite the aperture and aligned level and another of the first or second damping parts are located in a position oblique with respect to the center of the side of said aperture segment.